The British School

Working in collaboration with the office for the advisor for conservation to the Diwan, a team of five young people from the British School Muscat recently returned from a successful and arduous six day expedition to the mountainous Wadi Sarin protected area 55km south-east of the capital. Five students, Kirsten Birchall, Veronica Edwards, Sarim Tirmizi, Edward Trudeau and Michael Yates were pushed to their limits on the ascent to the 1800 metre high summit plateau of Jebel Aswad. Whilst donkeys were used to carry water and field equipment, the students had to carry their own belongings in rucsacks in excess of 20 kg for eight long, steep hours.


Once there, working closely with park rangers, they undertook a series of biological surveys to establish the status of the Blandford Fox on the Jebel. Of the three fox species in Oman, relatively little is known of the Blandford Fox, and the four sightings made by the students have proved to be of great value to the work of the conservation office.
Whilst on the plateau, the team covered many kilometres each morning and evening looking for signs of the animals. Camping at such a high location meant that temperatures were very cold at night, and water was limited each day.